Super
by Fishelle
Summary: The fearsome foursome are living it up in Miami, all successful in their careers at the early age of 22. Austin and Ally are the city's favourite uprising photographer/journalist duo, but nobody - not even each other - know that they're also the city's favourite uprising superhero duo. Austin and Ally by day, Stretch and Siren by night. / Superhero AU. Shenanigans galore.


**Disclaimer: literally if I owned a &a there'd be a kiss in the title sequence and forehead kisses in every episode**

 **A/N: hi everybody it's ya girl fishelle and she's back for more with season 4 (hahaha throwback). Yeah nah but anyway, here's my newest little baby! Maddie and I have been working on this for over a year now so I'm very excited to finally get started on it. Without further ado, here we go!**

 **Word count: 6126**

* * *

" _And another mutated sea creature was successfully wrangled and humanely returned to the ocean, thanks to the city's favourite uprising superhero duo."_

Ally groaned and flopped down exhaustedly on the couch, wiping her forehead and fanning herself. Trish cast her a side glance.

"Rough day?" She asked sympathetically.

The brunette glared at her best friend. "Yeah," she deadpanned, sitting up with an offended huff.

" _...three injured and no casualties. Police are on the scene and attempting to trace evidence back to the origins of this mutated sea creature. They have chosen not to comment on the investigation until further evidence is analysed…_ "

"Hey, at least you don't have to write up the teleprompter scripts anymore," Trish pointed out, wriggling her toes as she finished painting the last one. She propped her feet up on the coffee table to dry them. "You know it's hellish trying to recount Siren's and Stretch's ridiculous adventures."

"Oh, _ha-ha_ , very funny," Ally snipped, pressing her cool hands against her flushed cheeks. "What time is it?" She asked, still trying to catch her breath. She had had to run back to their apartment as fast as she could.

"You've got thirty minutes before we have to go," she called out.

" _We managed to get a few words with Siren before she left the scene, but Stretch had already left, presumably to make sure that the mutant was far enough out to sea that they would not return to harm the city again._ "

"Only thirty minutes!? _Shit_. Okay, okay – just – can you do my hair while I do my makeup?" Ally asked, standing up and walking to her bedroom.

"' _Any comments on today's battle, Siren?'_

' _Ah… um… We definitely haven't seen anything like this before. For something with no fists, it sure knew how to pack a punch,' Siren joked lamely. She glanced at her watch. 'I don't mean to be rude, but can this be quick? I have somewhere to be.'_

' _Of course. Thank you for sharing your time with us. You and Stretch work so well together. Can you tell us what the secret to such great partnership is?'_

' _Just – we've been paired together since SUPER deemed us fit to fight and protect the city. It's about teamwork and communication,' she explained. 'Sometimes after a battle we'll talk about what happened and how we might improve for the next time the city is in peril. We train a lot, too, that really helps. We have a lot of moves that we've honed over the years that we adapt in the moment depending on who we're battling.'_ "

"Yeah, of course I can do that," Trish said, standing and awkwardly waddling after her. The TV continued to play in the background, but neither seemed particularly interested in it. "Oh, no, don't wear that," she tutted, shaking her head and taking the cutesy dress from her best friend's hands. She rifled through her cupboard before pulling out a tight, but tastefully modest, dark blue mini dress. "We're going to a _club_ after dinner, Alls."

"' _It seems like the two of you are very close. Do you communicate with each other often out of battle?'_

' _Umm – I'm – that's a matter of privacy that, as employees of SUPER, we aren't allowed to disclose. Sorry!' She glanced at her watch again._

' _SUPER has very strict privacy policies. Is it true that your masks not only conceal your face and hair, but also modulate your voice to reduce the chance of civilians recognising your real identity?'_

' _That's correct! If you'll excuse me, though, I really have to go. Maybe next time we can have a proper interview. Bye!' Siren called, already turning and jogging away with a sheepish smile at the camera._ "

Ally thanked Trish and pulled off her sensible work heels before rushing towards the bathroom. " _God_ , I hate working late," she grumbled. "Can you believe that Stretch just left as soon as we finished up with that mutant? He _knew_ I had plans tonight. I bet he doesn't even have plans, he was probably just going to go home and do – I don't know - nothing," she grumbled, because in all honesty, she didn't know _what_ her sidekick did when they weren't in the public eye.

"Yeah, yeah. By the way, your shirt's inside out, _Siren_ ," Trish teased, chuckling at Ally's mortified screech when she realised that in her haste to return home after the battle, she had indeed, put her clothes on inside out. "You'd think by now you'd be used to changing back without having wardrobe mishaps," she tutted.

"It's only been a few months!" Ally protested, flinging her shirt over her head and shutting the bathroom door.

"Yeah, but you've been training at SUPER for _years_."

"Just – get my curler and make up ready!" She called in exasperation, turning on the shower.

By the time she had finished her shower, Trish was already completely ready, decked out in a leopard print dress that flared out at the waist, paired with flashy gold heels that Ally was certain she would be complaining about later.

"Look at you, all late," Trish drawled, finishing the last of her contour.

"Oh, yes, next time I'll ask the big scary monster if it wouldn't mind attacking the city earlier so that I still have time to get ready," Ally quipped dryly, clutching the towel to her chest as she scuttled into her room to dry her hair and throw on her clothes.

Trish had just finished the last curl in Ally's hair and Ally was putting on the final swipe of lipstick when there was a loud banging at the door followed by excited whoops from the boys.

" _I don't know about you_!" Dez sang.

" _But I'm feeling_ _twenty-twoo_!" Austin finished, still banging on the door.

"One more minute!" Ally whined, disappearing with Trish into her bedroom to pick out a pair of heels and to grab the present.

" _Ally_ ," Dez called dramatically as he continued to bang on the door. "We told you to be ready by six thirty! And what time is it? _Six thirty two._ Even the birthday boy is ready, and he spent a whole hour styling his hair."

"Dez!" Austin exclaimed. "It – it wasn't an _hour_ ," he said quickly. "More like – I mean – more like – forty minutes?"

The girls finally opened the door for them to come in, but the boys stayed in the doorway and grinned at them both.

" _Damn,_ ladies," they said in unison, giving their best friends dorky finger guns.

"Bozos," Trish muttered, but Ally could tell she was flattered.

Truth be told, Ally liked the way that Austin's eyes lingered on her for a moment longer than Dez's did.

"Dang, guys," Ally responded coyly, grinning at them. She shot Trish a glance, who quickly stepped forward and gave Austin his gift.

"Happy birthday!" They chorused together, brandishing the present.

Austin looked at the gift in surprise and then grinned at them before he pulled them into a group hug. Of course, Dez, feeling left out, joined in the hug too, and the four of them stayed like that for a moment in the doorway. Ally found herself squished between Trish's impressive cleavage and Austin's unimpressive cleavage, but she didn't mind. In fact, she liked being nestled in Austin's arms.

"Okay, we better go. Mike and Mimi will be waiting," Dez declared, pulling away from the hug and strutting down the hallway. Trish immediately followed him, leaving Austin and Ally hugging alone in the doorway.

Ally blushed and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "Happy birthday, Aus," she said softly.

He smiled at her, and bit his lip shyly. "Thanks, Alls."

* * *

After dinner, the six of them sat around the table in content while waiting for the cake to be ready. Ally was humming to herself, one hand on her stomach and secretly admiring her food baby, while Mike and Mimi gushed over Austin's baby stories and how their little prince was all grown up. Austin looked slightly embarrassed, but he seemed pleased at the same time, as though he were bashful about the attention being solely focussed on him but simultaneously not minding the limelight. After all, it _was_ his birthday.

"Oh! And then there was the time that he grabbed the chocolate pudding off the shelf in the supermarket! He opened it and started eating it right there in the middle of the store and we had to pay for it so that he wouldn't get accused of stealing. Oh, my hungry little boy," Mimi said happily, grabbing Austin's hand and giving it a squeeze.

" _Mum_ ," Austin whined, hiding behind his free hand. "I was just – I didn't know you had to pay for the pudding, okay?" He defended himself meekly.

"Does anyone else remember the time that that kid stuck their lollypop to Austin's shirt and he got in trouble for stealing the kid's lollypop?" Trish asked.

"That wasn't my fault!" Austin protested.

"What about that time that he stole a single grape off the vine at the supermarket, and then felt so guilty that he confessed it to the cashier when we were checking out?" Ally giggled.

"You too, Ally?" He asked, jaw dropping. She had never seen a more acute look of betrayal. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"I have one!" Dez exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "What about when he stole that guitar from Sonic Boom to get Bruno Mars to sign it because he had a _massive_ crush on All—"

Austin promptly shoved a salad leaf into Dez's mouth, his cheeks heated up in a blush. " _Dez._ "

Dez crinkled his nose and spat out the leaf, looking disgusted. "What? Everyone knows why you stole the guitar," he pointed out. "Because you had a crush on Ally and wanted to impress her," he said, before Austin groaned and shoved the leaf into his mouth again. Dez glared at him and pointedly ate the leaf before shrugging. "It's not like it was a secret. You guys _did_ date, for like, a week."

Ally cleared her throat and looked away, smiling a little shyly. She remembered that – she had thought he'd gone crazy and was stealing things, but he was just trying to do something nice for her. She remembered thinking that he'd never looked cuter. She spared a glance at him before feeling her cheeks get hot and looked away again.

"How about we open the presents now, Austin?" Mike asked, seeming to sense the awkward atmosphere and quickly diverting the conversation. She looked up and saw Austin smile sheepishly at her.

"Alright," he said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. He reached for the present from his parents, which included an obscene amount of money, nice dress shirts, and some of his favourite sweets from around the world. Ally had a feeling that she was going to steal a lot of those.

"C'mon, open ours," Trish said impatiently, bouncing up and down in her seat and thrusting the present into his hands.

"Okay, okay," Austin said, rolling his eyes. " _Impatient_."

They had gotten him a mug that read _Holy Pancakes!_ , and had a picture of Stretch on the side. As well as that, they had bought him pyjamas and underwear depicting the hero and his infamous quote. Ally knew that Austin's favourite hero, out of all the employees at SUPER that were deployed to protect the city, was Stretch. Sometimes she felt like telling him that she knew Stretch and she could get him his autograph, but she would sooner eat nails than ask her cocky sidekick for an autograph.

Austin and Dez exchanged a look, eyes laughing with some kind of unspoken joke. She wondered if they had telepathy with each other.

"Thank you so much, guys," Austin smiled, giving Trish a side hug and smiling at Ally from across the table. "I love it! Can't wait to have some hot chocolate in it," he grinned.

Ally opened her mouth to reply but she felt her phone buzz against her hip, so she smiled politely and pulled it out under the table to check.

 _7/10. Near Billl's._

It was a cryptic message, but she understood. SUPER were calling her in because there was a threat to the city - but how could she possiblyleave on Austin's birthday? She knew the blond had been looking forward to hanging out tonight, since it had been all he and Dez had been able to talk about for the past week.

As though the heavens above understood Ally's conundrum, Austin suddenly clutched at his stomach and groaned.

"Mum, Dad, I don't feel so good," he said, squeezing his eyes shut in pain. "I think I better go home early. I feel like I'm gonna throw up."

Trish scooted away from him, her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Come again, blondie?" She said. "You better not barf on me. This dress is new."

"Oh, baby," Mimi cooed, "you better go home, then. I'll get Dez to bring your cake home for you," she promised him.

"Thanks," he wheezed, before standing and smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, guys. I'll have to raincheck." He winced again and waved before urgently walking away, swinging his keys in his hand.

"Wait, Austin! How the hell are we supposed to get home?!" Trish called after him, but he was already gone.

"We can just Uber it, relax," Dez said, holding his hands up in a placating gesture.

"He always does this," Trish grumbled.

Ally pursed her lips. Since Austin had left, she could technically leave now, too. Right? She didn't know how to politely excuse herself without offending his parents or arousing Dez's suspicion. What could she possibly say that would be a firm enough excuse without inviting more questioning?

"May I be excused? I have to go buy tampons," she blurted out, before turning very red. Well – it wasn't as though anybody could deny her to go buy tampons, right? "Sorry. Uh – you know – it was just – it just – very sudden, I can tell – and I don't have any with me – so – I – uh –"

"Doesn't Trish usually carry some in her purse?" Dez piped up. "Besides, Austin and I bought you guys tampons like, last week. I thought your period was finished."

Apparently 'period talk' wasn't a topic that her eccentric friend found taboo to discuss.

Ally gave Trish _The_ Look, the one that told her that she needed her to cover for her. The Latina rolled her eyes. "No, I don't have any. Just let her go buy some damn tampons, Dez."

Mike cleared his throat. "Um – of course, Ally, you may be excused," he said, averting his eyes awkwardly. Ally nodded gratefully and quickly stood, grabbing her purse and walking away. On her way out, she bumped into the waiter who was bringing the cheque to their table, and glanced over her shoulder just in time to see Dez and Trish leave Mike and Mimi with the cheque.

 _Sorry guys_ , she thought to herself. _I kind of have a city to save._

* * *

"Siren! You're late!" Stretch yelled. His arms were wrapped tightly around the mutated sea octopus that they'd defeated only a few hours ago. He was clinging dangerously to its midsection, clearly aware that if the octopus happened to fall on its side or if he lost his grip, he would probably be crushed or fall to his death. The octopus was easily the size of a small house.

"Shut up!" She yelled back, jumping off the roof top and propelling herself on top of the creature. She wobbled as she fought to keep her balance, while the octopus thrashed about and tried to free itself from Stretch's grip. "I thought you chucked this guy back in the ocean?! Isn't that where you disappeared off to earlier?"

Stretch groaned as the creature writhed about in his arms. His arms had elongated unnaturally and were wrapped twice around the giant octopus, but she knew that even with his super ability of flexibility, he could only stretch a certain distance. "What's with the interrogation? I had plans. Just – just knock him out, would you?" He snapped back. "This isn't exactly _comfortable_!"

"Hey! _You're_ the sidekick!" Siren protested, dropping to all fours and seeking purchase somewhere on the slippery surface of the creature. She dug her fingers into its flesh, trying not to fall off as it rocked back and forth sporadically.

"Use that voice for something other than whinging," he sassed her, sticking out his tongue. The octopus wriggled about some more, successfully freeing one of its tentacles. "Watch out!" Stretch yelled, wincing as he held the remaining tentacles even tighter.

One giant tentacle snaked towards her and slammed into her hip. "Fuck," she muttered, gripping her side. Siren screeched, switching into a frequency that would affect the creature, but not Stretch. It was too high for him to hear, anyway, but the octopus immediately shrivelled into itself and roared in pain, the tentacle wrapping around its head as though to block out the sound.

"That was okay, _I guess_ ," Stretch called, gasping when a tentacle flew towards him. "But this thing isn't exactly _disabled_."

She smirked, and hopped off the head, swinging towards the tentacle that had landed near her, and gripped it before sliding down the length of it. She clung tightly to the tentacle, digging her heels into the flesh to stop her sliding when she was near where she assumed its ear was, and let out a low frequency hum that would make it uncomfortable, before swapping to a high frequency staccato, making it writhe in pain before collapsing onto its side. Luckily, the octopus hadn't landed on Stretch, but she heard him yelp with the sudden movement as they lurched unsteadily to the side. The octopus twitched in pain, still stunned from her ultrasonic attack.

"Hey, not to bother you or anything, but could you maybe, I don't know, _warn me_ when a _three hundred pound octopus_ is about to fall to the side and squish my hands under it?!" He snapped, withdrawing his arms from around it, and instead planting his palms on either side of the octopus to pin it to the ground.

Siren admittedly felt a little bit bad when she saw how badly scraped his hands were, but she also knew he had a high pain tolerance and was complaining just to make her feel bad. "Look, it's stunned, just knock it out now before it gets over it?!"

"It's always 'just knock it out now', never 'please knock it out now,'" Stretch grumbled, before pulling one fist back and smashing it hard against the creature's head to knock it unconscious. He looked expectantly at Siren.

"What?" She asked, breathing heavily as she calmed down. Their next step would be to somehow get it to the ocean, or to SUPER so that it could be properly killed to ensure that it wouldn't attack the city again.

Stretch shrugged and looked away, folding his arms across his chest and pursing his lips. "Guess I was just expecting a 'thank you' or something," he sniffled dramatically.

Siren slid down the body of the Octopus and joined him on the floor, rolling her eyes. "Thanks, Stretch," she deadpanned.

"You're welcome, Siren," he said pleasantly, folding his arms across his chest and giving her that smug smile she knew all too well.

She paused. "…But I guess we wouldn't have had to do this if you'd properly thrown that thing far enough into the ocean anyway. What the hell were you in such a rush to get to that you put your own personal matters before the safety of the city?"

"Just – stuff," he muttered, looking down at his feet.

Siren scoffed. "You shouldn't have put 'just – stuff' as your priority," she scolded him. "Look," she added, eyes softening a little. "I get it. I was in a rush, too. But you need to remember that your duty as a superhero comes before your duty to your friends and your family," she said gently. "It's tempting to be selfish but you need to make sure the city is your priority."

Stretch cleared his throat and fidgeted, having the decency to at least look guilty. "Whatever. I guess I just didn't throw him far enough since I was in a rush or whatever. Just – call SUPER, would you? We need to figure out what to do with Ugly over here."

She rolled her eyes and pressed a button on the side of her mask. A visor slid over her eyes and immediately called SUPER. Her boss's face filled the screen.

"Hey, Jimmy. We dispatched the mutant. Should we just chuck it back in the ocean again, or bring it in?" She asked.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing at his temples. "Bring it in," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Stretch threw it out pretty far earlier and it still came back. We better lock it up and run some tests before we decide what to do with it next," he said.

"Got it. See you soon," she said, before hanging up. She blinked as the visor slid away from her eyes and safely back into the sleek helmet-like mask that hid her identity but also acted as protection for her head. The only part of her face that wasn't covered by either a black fabric or by thin, protective metal, were her eyes and her mouth. Even her voice was affected by the helmet – there were microphones attached that modulated her voice and allowed her to communicate with Stretch over long distances, to minimise the risk of a civilian recognising her voice. She nodded to Stretch. "Break's over, muscleman. C'mon, we gotta get this over to HQ."

"They barely ever send the crane for us," he grumbled. "I almost always have to carry it. Why? This is _injustice_."

"Um, maybe because you have super-strength, so it saves time and money if you just carry it?" She pointed out, raising an unimpressed eyebrow. "Stop whining and just carry it," she ordered.

"Bossy," he muttered, before lifting the octopus. They walked in silence for a bit, Siren doing her best to help him so that the octopus didn't fall out of his grasp, but he carried it with ease. "Hey, so why were you so late?" He asked curiously after a little while.

"You know that I can't tell you why," she pointed out.

He shrugged. "I mean, I was coming from an actual event and even I was earlier than you. I bet you were just sitting at home and reading or something."

She glared at him. "If you _must_ know, it's one of my best friends' birthdays today," she said snippily. "So it wasn't exactly _easy_ to come up with an excuse to leave."

Stretch gave a small smile, ducking his head with a low chuckle. "You're right," he agreed. "That is difficult to get out of." He hummed quietly for a bit before turning and grinning at her slyly. "Is your friend hot?"

Siren gave him a sly smile. "It's not like you'll ever get to see for yourself."

"C'mon. I'm a simple guy, I like hearing about hot girls."

"What makes you think that my friend is a girl?"

"You said best friend. I guess I assumed it was a girl. My bad."

She shrugged. "My best friend could be a guy. And I said one of my best friends."

Stretch nudged her. "A guy? A special guy?" He said, waggling his eyebrows at her.

Siren rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and carry the octopus, okay? We aren't supposed to know about each other's private lives. And for all you know, I could be into women, or just not into sex in general," she said haughtily.

He sniffed, quiet again. Sadly, her peace only lasted for a few moments before he felt compelled to talk again. "But I've seen you checking out my butt."

"Excuse me?"

"You say you might not be into guys, or into sex, but I've seen you blatantly check out my ass. It's okay. I have a nice ass," he said, pointedly swivelling his body so she could see the aforementioned body part. Her cheeks heated up and she looked away. "See? You totally like my ass."

"Hey, Stretch?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Admit you like my ass and I'll drop the subject."

Siren rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stifle the amused smile he brought to her face. One thing she could say about being a superhero, was at least her co-worker was fun to hang out with.

* * *

Ally sighed as she sunk into the sofa, safely back in her apartment. Trish was fast asleep, and the apartment was oddly quiet as she settled down with a hot mug of tea. She wriggled her toes as she got comfortable on the couch, feeling refreshed after a warm shower, and turned on the TV. It was only then that she remembered that poor Austin had spent his birthday on the toilet, and she sent him a quick text before turning her attention back to the documentary on meerkats.

 _ **Ally:**_ _Is everything okay?_

She wriggled about some more to get comfortable, wincing a little at the stiffness in her muscles. Ally attempted to get comfortable against the armrest, but she found it difficult to lie without her hip hurting, from when the octopus had hit her with its tentacle before. She set her tea down on the coffee table and lifted the hem of her shirt to inspect her hip, her suspicions confirmed when she saw the dark bruise against her otherwise pale skin. The soft glow of the TV only made it that much more prominent, standing out sharply along her hipbone and reaching up towards her bellybutton, and disappearing into her pyjama shorts. At least she wouldn't have any trouble hiding that bruise – she would just have to be careful not to wear anything that sat too low on her hips or bared her stomach – and she wasn't worried about Trish catching a small glimpse of the bruise between her pyjama shirt and pyjama shorts, since her best friend knew about her secret identity anyway.

Her phone buzzed, tearing her from her thoughts.

 _ **Austin:**_ _wat_

Ally rolled her eyes.

 _ **Ally:**_ _Eloquent as always._

 _ **Austin:**_ _it's not an insult if I don't know what it means_

 _ **Ally:**_ _Hahaha_

 _ **Ally:**_ _You left dinner because your stomach hurt, right? Are you okay?_

 _ **Austin:**_ _oh right_

 _ **Austin:**_ _That_

 _ **Austin:**_ _yeah I'm fine_

 _ **Austin:**_ _I mean well_

 _ **Austin:**_ _yea I'm fine_

Ally smiled in relief, before setting her phone down again. She yawned and reached for her mug once more, fixing her glasses on her face before looking at the TV to learn more about meerkats. It was late, she noted, but she wasn't surprised that her friend was still up. He was probably still in a bit of pain but putting on a brave face so she wouldn't get concerned.

Her phone buzzed just as she began to doze off in front of the TV, her empty cup balanced in her lap.

 _ **Austin:**_ _Did you stay up this late just to check on me_

She paused, pursing her lips. She had to come up with some sort of excuse that wouldn't make him suspicious – it wasn't as though she could just tell him that she'd been out late with SUPER, making sure that the octopus was wrangled safely and locked away where it could no longer do any harm. Ally shifted uncomfortably, setting the cup on her table again.

 _ **Ally:**_ _No, just couldn't sleep. I'm sorry you blew chunks on your birthday tho :(_

 _ **Austin:**_ _yeah well dez brought me back cake so it wasn't too bad_

 _ **Ally:**_ _Seriously? You ate? Even after you felt sick?_

 _ **Austin:**_ _there's always room for cake_

She smiled a little and shook her head, locking her phone before standing and stretching. Ally turned off her TV before she yawned, trotting to the sink to wash her cup and put it away. Just as she finished drying it, her phone lit up again.

 _ **Austin:**_ _can you come over_

She rolled her eyes.

 _ **Ally:**_ _Austin. It's almost 2am. I'm not coming over._

 _ **Austin:**_ _please? Birthday boy request?_

 _ **Ally:**_ _It's not your birthday anymore so you can't use that excuse anymore lol hah_

She even put in a poop emoji for extra measure. Ally put the mug back into the correct drawer before walking back towards her bedroom, her eyes glued to the little three dots on her screen that told her Austin was writing something.

 _ **Austin:**_ _i'm not feeling well and I wanted you to sing me the lullaby. the one you sang when dez had a fever._

 _ **Ally:**_ _You just said that you're fine_

 _ **Austin:**_ _:(_

Ally groaned and ran a hand over her face. She looked longingly at her neatly made bed, thinking how soft and fluffy her pillow looked. She would have to suck it up – after all, she _did_ feel bad for Austin, since he'd been looking forward to his birthday for so long and had ended up spending it in the bathroom.

 _ **Ally:**_ _Okay, fine. You better have the front door open before I get there otherwise I'm going back to my place._

 _ **Austin:**_ _will do_

She pulled on her Ugg boots and grabbed her keys and phone before leaving the apartment quietly, so that she wouldn't wake Trish up, and quickly shuffled to the next door over, thankful that her best friends lived just next door. As promised, the front door was open, and she shuffled in, closing the door behind her. Before she could even call out quietly to Austin, she was swept into his chest.

"Dez was asleep and I needed a hug," he whispered into her hair. Austin swallowed hard, and she could feel his Adam's apple bobbing against her forehead.

"Why did you need a hug?" She whispered back, equally as hushed as she tilted her head back to look at worriedly at her best friend.

Austin pursed his lips and looked away, before pulling back to lead her into the living room. "Just feel a little down, I guess," he murmured. He sat down on the couch, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. Ally took off her fluffy boots and sat down with her back to the armrest (since that seemed to be the most comfortable way to sit without risking aggravating her bruise), and rested her feet in his lap. Austin didn't seem to mind, and draped his arms over her ankles as though to keep her there.

She was quiet for a moment, unsure what to say. "What's got you down, Charlie Brown?" She asked eventually. "Is it just the food poisoning stuff?" She added, because she'd seen him sick before, but he'd never gotten like this afterward.

The blond shifted uncomfortably. "…sorta…" He said, before finally opening his eyes to look at her. "Guess I'm just bummed out that I didn't get to finish my birthday celebrations with all of you. At least we got to have dinner with my parents…"

Ally leaned forward and patted him gently on the shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. The four of us hang out, like, every day. I'm sure that the others wouldn't mind going to the club another night for you. You can even get drunk, and me and Trish will haul your ass home," she teased.

"I guess." He managed to give her a small smile and rested his face lazily against the back of his couch to look at her. "Do you think I'm irresponsible?" He blurted.

"What?"

Austin paused. He closed his eyes and flopped his head back lazily again, no longer facing her. "Never mind," he mumbled.

"Austin…" She murmured, before moving so that she was kneeling on the couch beside him, and pulled him into a hug. He didn't move from his position, but she did feel his arms sneak lowly around her hips, and she had to bite her lip and swallow hard to stop herself from making any pained noise. "What's brought this on?" She asked gently, knowing that the blond had always been insecure about if his carefree attitude was – well – too immature.

He turned his face against her collarbones and sighed, the warm breath washing over her skin. She hoped he didn't notice the goosebumps that formed under his breath. "Guess I just…" He sighed again, seeming to have trouble with the wording. Austin buried his face into her neck, and she rubbed his back gently. "I feel bad for… putting myself before the rest of you guys… I just left the restaurant with the keys without even thinking about how the rest of you would get home…" He said eventually, although it sounded as though he were lying.

"Hey, it's okay," she murmured soothingly, resting her cheek against his head. Austin's arms wrapped tighter around her, squishing her bruise uncomfortably. "Nobody was mad at you. It's not like we expected you to be able to rationally think 'ah yes, how will my friends get home' when you were in pain like that."

He hummed quietly, as though not quite agreeing with her, but not having the energy to argue anymore. Ally pulled back a little and cupped his jaw. He looked at her with doleful, tired eyes, his bottom lip trembling just the slightest.

"C'mon, don't give me that look. You are one of my favourite people, okay? It's not your fault if you suddenly had to go," she said gently. Ally smiled at him. "Besides, even Trish didn't really complain, and you know she would have if it was that big a deal."

Austin nodded in agreement, but still looked a little doubtful. "…you promise?"

Ally smiled. "I promise," she said, holding her pinkie finger up between them.

He gave her a small, lopsided smile, the corner of his mouth hitching up lazily as he moved one arm from around her to link their pinkies. He held it there for a moment, his eyes meeting hers. "Thank you," he murmured, already looking more like himself. He held her tiny finger with his for a moment longer, his eyes dropping to her lips, but he cleared his throat and rested his face against her neck again, moving his arm around her waist. "Will you sing me the lullaby now?"

She rolled her eyes, looking embarrassed. "Do I have to?" She groaned.

She could feel him pout against her neck, and he pulled his face back to give her the puppy dog eyes. "P _weease_ , Awwy?" He asked, batting his eyelashes at her. He let his arm drop from around her waist to rest comfortably against her hip, and she couldn't stifle the small wince of pain, since she hadn't been anticipating it. His gaze immediately turned concerned. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Ally pulled away, clearing her throat. "Nothing's wrong. Just lie down and I'll sing you your lullaby," she insisted quietly, standing and tugging at his hands.

He didn't look like he believed her, his gaze wandering to her hips. Feeling awkward, Ally tugged her shirt a little lower and hitched her pants up to try and hide her bruised skin from his gaze. Austin grabbed both her wrists gently in one hand and slowly pulled her shirt up. "Who did this to you?" He asked, his voice low and dangerous.

She was quiet. It wasn't as though she could tell him that a giant octopus had done it to her. "Nobody," she promised him.

"Ally." He warned, his eyes flashing as he looked up at her.

The brunette rolled her eyes, freeing her hands from his grip and pulling his hands away from his shirt. "You know I'm clumsy," she said calmly, meeting his eyes. "I just banged my hip against my desk earlier," she said – and it was plausible, considering she _had_ done that before. "Don't worry about it. Come on, you said you wanted the lullaby," she murmured, finally getting him to stand and follow her.

"Promise?" He asked quietly as she tucked him into bed, pulling his desk chair towards his bed so she could sit until he fell asleep, and then go back to her own apartment.

Ally smiled, holding her pinkie out towards him. "Promise," she lied. "It's not like I have any reason to lie to you."

Austin peeked up at her from his quilt, grinning widely. "I guess not. Night, Ally."

She tried not to feel guilty at how easily she lied to him. It was for his safety and her own. "Good night, Aus."

 **A/N: Woo! And there we have it! Tell me what you liked or didn't like in the reviews and I'll do my best to keep that stuff in mind when I write the next chapters. I really hope you liked this as much as I do! Laters my guys.**


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